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Showing posts from 2019

Back To The Vinyl Days On Mellow Mellow FM Radio

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Lee Faircloth From the final days of 2019 to the vinyl days is just a small step. So let’s go back to the sounds of American radio during the seventies & eighties and reminisce one more time before we go into 2020. It’s music from the vinyl era, long before cd’s, mp3’s and streaming audio took over. Enjoy this new episode of Mellow Mellow FM Radio ! State Cows are one of very few modern yacht rock / West Coast / AOR bands that create new original music. The band consists of Daniel Andersson on vocals and guitars and Stefan Olofsson on keyboards and bass. Many guest musicians have contributed to their recordings and live gigs, most notably Jay Graydon (two-time Grammy winner, twelve-time Grammy nominee), Bill Champlin (Chicago), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Michael Landau (Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd) and Ian Bairnson (Kate Bush, Alan Parsons Project). I Got The Message is from their new album Challenges : "Smooth guitar lines, half-time shuffles, funky bass l

Songs In Soft Focus Part 3: Sunshine Pop On Such A Winter’s Day

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Unsplash “All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray I've been for a walk on a winter's day I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A California dreamin' on such a winter's day” California Dreamin’ , originally from the Mamas & the Papas, is without any doubt the most iconic sunshine pop song. The genre was a mid-sixties, mainly Californian pop style, typified by rich harmony vocals, lush orchestrations, and an overall happy-go-lucky mood. In this type of “flower power” music folk and psychedelic sounds miraculously came together. Apart from the Mamas & the Papas, popular bands were Spanky & Our Gang and the Association. Later soulful elements popped up in the genre with acts like The Fifth Dimension, Rotary Connection (produced by legendary Charles Stepney) and Friends of Distinction. Sunshine pop largely disappeared in the early seventies and was more or less taken over by the Californian yacht rock sound. For a long time dj’s in the US thought D

Rudolph’s Disco Christmas Party

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Sandra Hoj / Classic Copenhagen Merry Christmas to all my followers, subscribers and listeners! 😊 About his new Christmas track with Princess Freesia, Soulpersona tells us to “get comfy with a warming whisky and a mince pie as Freesia serenades the randy reindeer...” Italian born Giorgio Moroder went to Germany to record his debut single Looky, Looky in 1969, but his career would get a boost when he met fellow musician Pete Belotte a few years later. With him Moroder formed a highly successful production partnership. Together with then unknown American singer Donna Summer, who lived in Germany at the time, the trio created an electronic disco sound that is still influential today. From Here To Eternity is from Moroder's same-titled solo album. Tracklist: Soulpersona & Princess Freesia – Rudolph (2019) The Universal Robot Band ‎– Disco Christmas (1977) Giorgio Moroder – From Here To Eternity [intro] (1977) L.E.B. Harmony – Feeling Love [Joey Negro Edit] (1979

Mellow Mellow FM Radio: Smooth Jazz, Soft Soul & Sophisti-Funk

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Unsplash Enjoy another retro episode of my imaginary station Mellow Mellow FM Radio !  More or less by accident George McCrae had a worldwide hit with Rock Your Baby in 1974. The song was written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch from KC & the Sunshine Band. It was originally intended as a single for George's wife Gwen, as a solo artist, but she had called in sick the day the studio was booked. When George randomly showed up, they put him behind the microphone and the rest is history. Rock Your Baby became a worldwide hit and the song was the spark that lit the disco fire in the years to come. Shortly after this success George and Gwen McCrae made their only album as a duo, called Together (after some singles in the 1960s). The couple split in 1977. Singer/pianist/clown Elton John has the honour to have recorded the worst song of all time ( Nikita ) and the only good album he made ( The Thom Bell Sessions ) was not released at the time, so I do not k

Smooth Sailing: Don’t Tip The Boat Over

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Unsplash The other day I saw the movie Fisherman’s Friends, which is about ten fishermen from Cornwall, whose debut album of fisherman’s songs surprisingly went into the UK top ten. There’s a key scene in the movie when the female protagonist talks about the joy of listening to a vinyl record. She thinks that’s the only way to learn more about the artist and she’s convinced that Steve Jobs spoiled that pleasure when he started selling single tracks of an album. And a few seconds later there’s a love scene, while Rock The Boat by The Hues Corporation is on the record player. So that’s where the inspiration came from 😊 Enjoy this fresh new episode of Smooth Sailing ! Tracklist: Steve Turner ‎– Harbor Place (1983) Melissa Manchester ‎– I Wanna Be Where You Are (1977) Savannah Cristina – What You Won’t Do (2019) Rebecca Jean Eliott – Rock With You (2019) Chris Hillman ‎– Clear Sailin' (1977) The Hues Corporation – Rock The Boat (1974) Art Webb – You Can’t Hide Love (

Eddy’s Eighties Grooves Part 28: Love Dancin’

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According to C-Heads Magazine No Good by Nasaya and Janeva is a tropical pop anthem outfitted to keep you warm as the seasons get cold. Nasaya tells about his new single: “I’m obsessed with disco/80’s music, and I feel like this track sounds like it could have been released at that time. I hope it makes you dance!” Enjoy part 28 of Eddy's Eighties Grooves ! 😊 Next up is a new episode of Smooth Sailing . Tracklist:  Herbie Hancock – Motor Mouth (1982) The Brothers Johnson – Sunlight (1981) Clifford Coulter – Don’t Wanna See You Cry (1980) Teri De Sario – Baby I Don't Want Your Love (1978) Nasaya Feat. Janeva – No Good (2019) High Fashion – You’re The Winner (1983) The Spinners ‎– Got To Be Love (1981) Melba Moore ‎– When You Love Me Like This (1985) Starpoint – Bring Your Sweet Lovin' Back (1982) Champaign – Can You Find The Time? (1981) Gene Dunlap Feat. The Ridgeways – Love Dancin’ (1981) Leah Kunkel – Temptation (1980) Lani Hall – Only You (19

Songs In Soft Focus Part 2 Bossa Nova, Easy Listening & Slow Disco

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Unsplash Enjoy this second part of Songs In Soft Focus ! The idea behind the mix was to put together some warm tracks for chilly days. The track by Evans Pyramid is recently released by Cultures Of Soul . Next week we are going back in time with a new episode of Eddy's Eighties Grooves . Tracklist: Seek – Ever After [Jiva Remix] (2013) Jingo – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (2011) Claude Fontaine – Pretending He Was You (2019) Clyb Foster – How Deep Is Your Love? (2012) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 – Going Out Of My Head (1966) Stereo Action Unlimited ‎– Hi Fi Trumpet (1999) The Juju Orchestra Feat. Katia B – Nâo Posso Demorar (2007) Sabrina Malheiros – Salve O Mar (2017) The Bamboos Feat. Alice Russell – Bring It Home (2007) No Logo – Party Animal (2011) Ray Barretto – Can You Feel It (Let It Groove You) (1978) Creative Source – Pass The Feelin' On (1975) Bamboo – Hustlers Of Life Never Survive (1979) Iconique – Do You Really Wanna Disco

An Exclusive Funky Chillout Mixtape

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Unsplash Enjoy this exclusive show that I did on Boogie Bunker Radio last Monday! Next up is a new part of Songs In Soft Focus . Tracklist: The Blackbyrds – Wilford's Gone (1975) Tei Shi Feat. Blood Orange – Even If It Hurts (2019) El Michels Affair Feat. Lee Fields – Tearz (2017) José Feliciano – California Dreamin’ (1968) Marden Hill – Bardot (1996) Edee – Make It Last (1977) Rebecca Jean Eliott – Rock With You (2019) José James Feat. Emily King – Heaven On The Ground (2013) Anthony Strong – You To Me Are Everything (2019) Cameo – Two Of Us (1978) Jean Tonique – California (2019) Harrison Lipton – No Good At Goodbyes (2019) Ego Ella May – How Far (2019) Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Love Is Love (1978) Maynard Ferguson – Mister Mellow (1977) Reva DeVito & Young Franco – Cali (2019)

Mellow Mellow FM Radio Presents Soft Lights & Slow Sexy Music

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To celebrate 100 years of radio in the Netherlands, I made a new episode of Mellow Mellow FM Radio ! Back in the 1970s dj's used to play all kinds of genres on the radio, because strict formats were not invented yet. So that's what this mix is basically about: to recreate exciting and sexy FM radio. Enjoy! Glam rock band Mud was founded by guitarist Rob Davis and drummer Dave Mount in 1966. They formed a quartet with bass player Ray Stiles and singer Les Gray, after placing an advert in Melody Maker. They struggled for success for years, but soon after they had been discovered by producer Mickie Most during a gig, things lightened up. They were hooked up with the most successful writers and producers at the time: Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (Sweet, Suzie Quatro). Hits followed very fast and during the mid-seventies they had several number ones all over Europe. After Mud had left Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman and started to write their own material the hits dried up. By the

Best Of 70s Soul: Get Up And Dance

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Martijn Soetens Enjoy this new episode of Best Of 70s Soul ! I Love Music by The O’Jays was written by legendary Philadelphian producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and went to number one on the soul singles chart and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK the song peaked at number 13 on the pop chart, in March 1976. Although the track is a classic now, it did not appear on any chart in the Netherlands at the time. In fact, the only Philly group that made it big on the Dutch charts were The Three Degrees, who went to number one with Dirty Ol’ Man in 1973. Next up is a new part of Mellow Mellow FM Radio to celebrate 100 years of radio in the Netherlands. On the 6th of November 1919 engineer Hanso Idzerda started to broadcast music to a large audience, which was not done before. He was killed by the Germans in World War II after taking away pieces of a crashed V2 missile out of curiosity. Tracklist: The Emotions – I Should Be Dancing (1979) Earth, Wind &a

Smooth Sailing: Lost In Nostalgia

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Unsplash On this last day of October we are a bit "lost in nostalgia" on our Smooth Sailing boat. Enjoy the trip! In 1974, Brazilian singer Ana Mazzotti recorded her album Ninguem Vai Me Segurar . Her husband Romido Santos produced and played drums, and the supporting cast was fleshed out by members of Azymuth. At the time, the band were in their infancy, but they would go on to build a discography that defined Brazil’s samba-tinted strain of jazz-funk. Though she was musically literate from an early age, Mazzotti is not credited with any instrumentation on the album. Instead, Azymuth’s keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami served as an instrumentalist, arranger, and co-writer on several tracks. Recorded in Estudio Haway around the same time Azymuth cut their self-titled debut album there, it’s natural to consider the two records as accompanying pieces. After nearly a dozen years confidently steering the S.S. Nostalgia, playing the beloved yacht rock hits of the 1970s and

Funky Chillout Room Édition Française

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Unsplash I hope you will enjoy these French funky chillout tracks! I got inspired after I had I heard Le Temps Est Bon from Isabelle Pierre in a French car commercial some time ago. French singer Véronique Sanson began her career in the 1970s and became well known in France soon. Her world turned upside down when she met Stephen Stills of Crosby Stills & Nash. One day, during a recording session in Paris, she left the studio pretending to go buy cigarettes, but never came back... She flew overnight to the USA, where she married Stephen Stills. In LA, she recorded new music with superstar composers such as Ray Parker JR and Harvey Mason, which resulted in her album Hollywood . Tracklist: Ntjam Rosie – L’Amour (2010) Nouvelle Vague – Say Hello Wave Goodbye (2009) Serge Gainsbourg – Couleur Café (1964) Cléa Vincent – Samba (2017) L'impératrice – Séquences [Voilaaa Remix] (2017) Hypnolove – La Piscine [Lewis OfMan Remix] (2016) Bleu Toucan – Le Vent Se Lève

Midnight Grooves From The Crates

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Again I dug up a couple of grooves from the crates. The very obscure tracks by Grayson Street and Phoenix are from a brand new compilation, called Can You Feel It? Vol.2 Modern Soul, Disco & Boogie 1976-84 . Enjoy this fresh part of Grooves From The Crates ! George Benson’s Midnight Love Affair is from his classic album Give Me The Night , produced by Quincy "Q" Jones: "Q's regular team, including the prolific songwriter Rod Temperton and the brilliant engineer Bruce Swedien, is in control, and Benson's voice, caught beautifully in the rich, floating sound, had never before been put to such versatile use.” (Allmusic.com) Tracklist: Grayson Street ‎– Medicine Man (1971) Leon Ware – Words Of Love (1982) Carter And Chanel – Midnight Love Affair (1981) R. B. Hudmon ‎– This Could Be The Night (1981) Sandra Wright – Midnight Affair (1974) Phoenix – Lover’s Fantasy (1970s) Leroy Hutson – Nice And Easy (1982) Side Effect – Midnight Lover (1981)

Soulful Sounds Of The Seventies & Early Eighties (Mellow Mellow FM Radio Episode)

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Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash Pop, soul and AOR, that’s the smooth sound of the classic FM airwaves. Have fun with this brand new episode of Mellow Mellow FM Radio ! When you hear Bobby Goldsboro sing the lyrics of his song Summer (The First Time) , it seems to be about a great sin that's going to happen ('the sun was a demon'). Millie Jackson's interpretion of the track is more about seducing than being seduced. She 's relaxed and in control ('you try not to stare'), while Bobby Goldsboro is shaking like a leaf when the 'first time' is about to begin. Although no one seemed to care at the time, nowadays the lyrics would be considered very inappropriate ('You were 31, I was 17'). Next up is a new part of Grooves From The Crates . Tracklist: John Valenti – Why Don’t We Fall In Love (1976) Walter Jackson – It's Cool (1982) Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers – Just The Two Of Us (1980) Ambrosia – How Much I Feel

Songs in Soft Focus Part 1: Nouveau Jazzy Pop & Friday Night Bath Music

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Welcome to a new series: songs in soft focus ! The band Lounge FM described their music as “Friday night bath music” and I decided to make their description one of the themes of this cloudcast. The other inspiration source of this first songs in soft focus part is Petite Meller’s 3 years old Milk Bath . The French-Israeli singer defines her music as “nouveau jazzy pop”, which is in her vision a combination of jazz, French chansons and disco (“euro trash”). I selected tracks that sound like “nouveau jazzy pop” and one from a man that inspired her, namely Serge Gainsbourg. Petite Meller recently released a new single, called Aeroplane . Enjoy the first part of this new series! Next up is a fresh episode of Mellow Mellow FM Radio . Tracklist: Googie & Tom Coppola – Broken Wings (1980) Durand Jones & The Indications – Cruisin’ To The Park (2019) The Sha La Das – Open My Eyes (2018) Lounge FM – New Phone Who Dis (2019) Club Des Belugas – Strange Things Beyond The S

Here Comes That Sound Of 1979

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When the 1970s came to a close, commercial pop, like soul/disco and yacht (soft) rock had to compete with new low-budget underground music, like new wave and hip hop. This competition seemed to give those then popular genres an extra boost to survive. Eventually, soul/disco and soft rock would lose the battle in the beginning of the 1980s, but in 1979 quality productions, big budgets and craftmanship were still leading. For instance, Earth, Wind & Fire made their masterpiece I Am with their dark disco song Boogie Wonderland (composed by Allee Willis and Jon Lind) and Donna Summer’s Bad Girls is still a classic today. Let’s go back 40 years in time and enjoy that sound of 1979! "The Sugarhill Gang changed Hip Hop forever when they released “Rapper’s Delight” on September 16, 1979. Produced by Sylvia Robinson, the single is credited as introducing Hip Hop to a mainstream audience." ( Hiphopdx ) The tragedy of The Jones Girls was that they made quality disco in an era

Smooth Sailing: Sweet September Sadness

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In these last days of September we are sailing away from the summer and moving straight into the autumn… Enjoy this slightly melancholic Smooth Sailing trip! Year of the Cat , the seventh studio album by British singer Al Stewart, was produced and engineered by Alan Parsons, who would later become known for his Alan Parsons Project. The title track, described by AllMusic as " one of those 'mysterious woman' songs ", peaked at #8 on the Billboard singles chart in the spring of 1977. The other single from the album, On the Border, can be heard on this cloudcast. According to the singer the lyrics are about “ the decline and fall of the British empire ”. The first lines are about Basque freedom fighters: “The fishing boats go out across the evening water Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border The wind whips up the waves so loud The ghost moon sails among the clouds Turns the rifles into silver on the border” The song reached #42 in the United Sta

Smooth Sailing: Late Summer Softness

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Unsplash Let’s say goodbye to the summer of 2019 with some late summer softness… Drummer/guitarist Leroy Bell met guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Casey James while both were members of the band Special Blend from Philadelphia. After the band disbanded, the duo began a songwriting partnership. With help from Bell's uncle, Philly soul producer Thom Bell, they started writing songs for Philadelphia International Records (The O'Jays, MFSB, Teddy Pendergrass, Elton John). In early 1978 they were signed to A&M and recorded hits like Livin' It Up (Friday Night) and You Never Know What You've Got . Both singles were from their 1978 self-titled debut album, just like Don’t Let The Man Get You that I selected for this cloudcast. On the album played MFSB, the house orchestra of Philadelphia International. Their second album was Only Make Believe , which spawned the R&B charting singles Shakedown and Only Make Believe . Bell & James would record one more album in

Eddy’s Eighties Grooves Part 27: Nu Disco Pop

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Schekinov Alexey Victorovich CC BY-SA 3.0 Enjoy this brand new part of Eddy's Eighties Grooves ! It's disco pop from, but mostly inspired by the 1980s. I chose to play some old school tracks as well to show you the similarities with the ones that were made 30 years later. Pay special attention to the track by Skylephant that sounds a bit like New Order in their heyday. Don't forget to listen to Sunshine 70s on KX Classics this Saturday from 20.00 to 21.00 hrs CET. It's an episode I made with Martijn Soetens ( the Smooth Operators ). We selected lots of great tracks from the golden era of pop! "All the memories of you, they bleach with the sunshine..." Next up is a new episode of Smooth Sailing . Tracklist: Fragile ‎– We've Got Tonight, Boy (1986) Le Flex & Ali Rose – Take Good Care Of My Heart (2019) FM-84 Feat. Ollie Wride – Never Stop (2017) Michael Sembello ‎– Maniac (1983) Brandon (Feat. SJBRAVO) – She's On Fire (2018) G

Mellow Mellow FM Radio 10th Anniversary Episode: Easy Breeze Soul, Pop & Rock

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Unsplash In this special episode of Mellow Mellow FM Radio I celebrate my 10th anniversary on Mixcloud. I selected songs from the genres I like the most, so it goes from rock ‘n’ roll to yacht rock and from sunshine pop to Motown soul. It is all in there! This 10th anniversary mix is also a tribute to the power of radio, like Radio Veronica that introduced me to pop music back in the day. On the 31st of August it will be exactly 45 years ago that Radio Veronica, an offshore pirate radio station near the Dutch coast was forced to shut down. Big inspirations for this cloudcast were Quentin Tarantino's new movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (go and see it!) and the Sunshine 70s series by Martijn Soetens on KX Classics (Saturdays from 20.00 to 21.00 hrs CET). Quentin Tarantino uses lots of wonderful West Coast radio samples in his movie and he has selected some quality songs as well, like the ones from Dee Clark and Neil Diamond: “Hot August night and the leaves hanging down”

Dancer! (Disco, Deephouse & Downtempo)

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This time I want to share this exclusive Boogie Bunker Radio episode. Don’t forget to listen to my show Mondays from 12.00-13.00 CET and to quote Horse Meat Disco: “Baby, let’s go dancing!” By the way, I'm looking forward to the movie Last Christmas with music from George Michael and Wham! Next time we are going to celebrate my 10th anniversary on Mixcloud with a special episode of Mellow Mellow Radio . Enjoy! Tracklist: The APX – Can’t Stop Us Now (2019) Chemise – She Can't Love You (1982) Gino Soccio ‎– Dancer (1979) Giorgio Moroder ‎– I Wanna Rock You [Thee Maddkatt Mix] (1999) Touch – Love Hangover (1977) Nick Heyward ‎ – Love All Day (And Night) (1984) The Sonnets – Blue Train (2010) Wham! – Everything She Wants (1984) Choklate ‎ – Break My Heart (2011) Chas Jankel – Questionnaire (1981) King Britt Presents Sylk 130 Feat. Alma Horton ‎– Happiness [Soul Dhamma Remix] (2000) Tuxedo – The Tuxedo Way (2019) Yung Bae – Start From Nothing (2019) Ev

Funky Chill Out Room: Endless Summer Edition

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Lou'Ana The recipe for this summer cocktail served in my funky chill out room, is a mix of contemporary laidback soul with Latin lounge to give you that sun kissed feeling. Enjoy the endless summer! One of the tracks is from Brazilian band Azymuth. They recently released their early demos (1973-1975) on Bandcamp : “They stood out for both their exceptional musical talent, as their wild rock‘n’roll antics in the predominantly middle-class worlds of bossa nova and jazz.” The crowd sample 'no rain, no rain' that Bonobo uses in Kota is from the Woodstock Festival that took place exactly 50 years ago (15 - 18 August 1969). Tracklist: The Vapor Caves – Endless Summer (2019) Bryony Jarman-Pinto – Sun Kissed (2019) Lou’Ana – Summer In May (2019) Azymuth – New Dawn (2009) Bonobo – Kota (2001) Marcos Valle – Alma (2019) Balanço ‎– Metti Una Sera A Cena [Jazzanova Remix] (1999) George Duke – Cravo E Canela (1979) Leon Ware – Can I Touch You There? (1982)

Mellow Mellow FM Radio: Sunny Pop, Slow Disco & Smooth Soul

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Unsplash Patti Austin, who sings her duet Baby Come To Me with James Ingram on this cloudcast, blew out 69 candles on her birthday August 10. Apart from her solo career and her work with Quincy Jones, Patti Austin sang on Steely Dan’s Time Out of Mind , Bill LaBounty’s Livin’ It Up , and George Benson’s Give Me the Night .   Baby Come to Me was written by Rod Temperton, who is mostly known for composing songs for Heatwave and Michael Jackson. The song was released as a single in April 1982, peaking at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Several months later, American soap opera General Hospital began to feature the song heavily as the love theme for character Luke Spencer. It was re-released in October and reached #1 on the American pop chart in February 1983 and #5 in the Netherlands a few weeks later. Enjoy sunny pop, slow disco & smooth soul on Mellow Mellow FM Radio ! Tracklist: Greg Smaha – Sunshine (1979) The Pendletons – Life To Me (2019) Breakwater – Say You Love

Under The Boardwalk: Sixties Soul & AM Pop

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Enjoy my tribute to the powerful sound of AM radio (1960-1975)! It's music I don't usually play on Mixcloud, because normally my journey starts around the mid-seventies. At the beginning of the sixties, AM radio was by far the dominant format. Pop music, like the powerful sound of Motown, sounded best on small portable mono radios and in Europe this type of music was mainly played by pirate stations near the Dutch and British coast. Around the mid-seventies stereo hifi-equipment replaced the transistor radio and pirate stations disappeared one by one due to government decisions. FM radio stations were willing to play album tracks and longer songs in better sound quality. AM stations, dealing with an inferior sound quality, were more tightly programmed, singles-oriented and dj's played the sort of bubblegum pop that has since become synonymous with the era (1960-1975). This mix also refers to the so called beach music of the late fifties, sixties and early seventies. Th

Late Night Summer Groove

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Unsplash Just sit back and relax on a warm summer night… One of the tracks is Music Of The Earth by Patrice Rushen, which can also be found on the new compilation You Remind Me (The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984) : “A child prodigy gifted with a honey-dipped voice, Rushen was already a sought-after musician in the late ‘70s when Elektra/Asylum came calling. You Remind Me (The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984) showcases and celebrates her freewheeling soul sound. Alongside labelmates and fellow visionaries like Donald Byrd and Grover Washington, Jr., she took soul into less rigid and earnest territory, mixing in pop-friendly melodies and rhythms, and even a dash of new wave.” Tracklist: The Pendletons Feat. Howard Johnson ‎– You Do You (2019) Samuel Jonathan Johnson – Sweet Love (1978) Valerie Carter – Da Doo Rendezvous (1978) William DeVaughn ‎– Be Thankful For What You've Got (1980) The Love Unlimited Orchestra ‎– Midnight Groove (1975) Ramsey Lewis Fea

Smooth Sailing: Chillout Pop, Laidback Disco & Yacht Rock

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Joan Smalls This is the hottest summer ever in the Netherlands, so the only place you can properly chill out is at the beach… The opening track is by party pop duo More Giraffes. Surf is their version of a summer anthem. On C-Heads Magazine they tell about the song: “We started this song with the chorus, which was so simple and perfect to us. We love imagining characters and creating vignettes in our songs, so we wrote the verses about someone leaving the material world behind to live their best life oceanside, chilling with dolphins and drinking negronis with turtles. More than anything it’s about self love." In the BBC4 series I can go for that: the smooth world of yacht rock Katie Puckrik argues that the pure Yacht sound was born in 1976 when seasoned session musician Michael McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers. "Alongside The Doobies’ mellow tracks, Steely Dan and Hall & Oates also delivered perfect studio-engineered productions that remain as escapist and indu

Tropicolo: Latin Jazz Carnival

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Unsplash To celebrate summer and the fact that I have three weeks off from work, I uploaded this new cloudcast called Tropicolo and subtitled Latin Jazz Carnival. Enjoy! One of the tracks is Danca De Duas Maos by The Lewis Express from their new album Clap Your Hands : “The band's intention was to produce an album of dancefloor friendly, uplifting, funky soul-jazz with a stripped back line up of Piano, Bass, Drums and Percussion.” The album is out this Friday 26th of July. Tracklist: Sergio Mendes Feat. Jill Scott & wil.i.am – Let Me (2005) Bebel Gilberto – Memento (2005) Offworld – Nurnen Sun (2001) Anne Reburn – How Deep Is Your Love (2019) Emily King – Can’t Hold Me (2019) Chico Hamilton – Mysterious Maiden (1980) The Lewis Express – Danca De Duas Maos (2019) 79.5 – Wavy (2018) Feater Feat. Vilja Larjosto – Time Million (2019) D’Andy Feat. Melania – Cry Me A River (2014) Melodiesinfonien – Tropicolo (2019) Four80East – Cinco Cinco Seis [Radi

Chillout Grooves For Summer Days by The Smooth Operators

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Unsplash The holiday season has started and  The Smooth Operators  (Martijn Soetens and I) have left for a cocktail bar on a tropical beach. Come go with us and enjoy our fruitfully mixed smooth drink! One of the tracks is from A Quiet Storm by Smokey Robinson: "The title track became the namesake for a music format. The album itself had three singles hit the charts. Arranged in an intermittent rhythm, "Baby That's Backatcha" ran up the Billboard R&B charts to number one inside 16 weeks." Tracklist: Claude Fontaine – I’ll Play The Fool (2019) Smokey Robinson – Baby That’s Backatcha (1975) Gizmo Varillas – Give A Little Love (2016) Sonya Spence – Let Love Flow On (1981) Nu Guinea – Disco Sole (2018) Shuggie Otis – Aht Uh Mi Hed (1974) Joao Donato – Nana Das Aguas (1973) Lana Del Rey – Doin’ Time (2019) Will C. – Almost Summer (2012) Masayoshi Takanuka – Bamboo Vender (1979) Michael Kiwanuka & Tom Misch – Money (2019) Coke E

For The Love Of Disco

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The APX Enjoy this cloudcast that was made for the love of disco, exactly 40 years after Disco Demolition Night. Huffington Post says about The APX that the duo "drops funk that goes beyond good and hits excellent. " Legendary musician Teddy Riley calls the group " Incredible! ", Kiss 104 FM Atlanta says " The APX is keeping REAL funk alive! ", and Creative Loafing describes their music as " Saturated in the funk... while still blazing trails of their own design! " Despite their well-deserved reputation and boisterous, jubilant harmonies and sound, the Trammps were never a huge commercial success in the US, even during disco's heyday. They share this injustice with many other representatives of the so-called Philly sound, although the Trammps had a handful of hits in Europe, like Shout and Hold Back The Night . Body Contact Contract from their album Disco inferno was never released as a single, but it surely could have been one!

Mellow Mellow FM Radio: Easy Going

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Clayton Cardinalli (Unsplash) Easy going on the first episode of mellow mellow retro radio ! Quite a few songs are so-called "blasts from the past", but the tracks by Yung Bae, Wizaard, Work Drugs and State Cows are brand new. Enjoy! I chose to play Sand In Your Shoes by Al Stewart ( "The summer sun beats on and on" ). This is what Allmusic.com writes about his timeless masterpiece Year Of The Cat : "One of those albums you can play at any time. Uplifting, melodic and, should you need it, full of engaging stories." Tracklist: Lowrell – Mellow Mellow Right On (1979) Yung Bae – Pacific Standard Time (2019) Wizaard – Green Dollar Bills (2019) Pages – Let It Go (1978) Lemuria – All I’ve Got To Give (1978) Al Stewart – Sand In Your Shoes (1976) Kathe Green – Beautiful Changes (1976) Chaka Khan – What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me (1981) Randy Crawford – Look Who’s Lonely Now (1982) Work Drugs – L.A. Looks (2019) Robert John – Sad Eyes (1979)